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The Glamorous World of Working from Home .... Or so some think
by Danielle (Dani) Gordon, CET

I often dread telling people what I do for a living. When I tell them I am a transcriptionist/proofreader, they invariably ask, “I would love to do that. How do I get started?” Then I just groan and tell them it’s not nearly as glamorous as they seem to think. Yes, I am here with my kids. Yes, I can sit in my pajamas for hours on end. However, I try to make them understand that I’m not just lounging around eating bonbons. Most days I spend from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. proofing transcripts, answering emails, and putting out fires with just short breaks for eating, cleaning my house, preparing meals, and what have you.

This is not the life I envisioned for myself. I had it all mapped out. Get my doctor of jurisprudence and spend my days in a courtroom. Of course, as plans often do, mine went awry when real life intervened. I was on the correct path, and by 1998 I was working as a paralegal for a personal injury firm. I was happy, although even for a civil firm, the hours were long and the work stressful. After seeing my boss miss out on his family’s milestones, I started rethinking my path, but not in a serious way at first. Then once again reality stepped in and took over. I had given birth to a son in 1999 who was later diagnosed with a terminal illness. Long story short, by October of 2000 I decided he needed me at home more than I needed to be in the rat race.

Now, I’ve always been a grammar and punctuation “freak.” Some might even say I am anal about pointing out errors, whether on signs, in articles, on television, etc. So when I quit the law firm, knowing I still had to be able to support myself and my family, I started searching ads on the internet trying to find something that would put my skills to use, yet still allow me to stay home with my son. The night I quit the firm, I sent in my resume for a transcriptionist position and was hired immediately. The rest, as they say, is history. I have run the gamut from transcriptionist to proofreader and have loved every minute of it.

But back to the glamour. Where is it? Where is this "something for nothing" that the people around me think this life gives me? I work hard. I may as well be gone and out of the house most days for all the good it does me to be at home. Even my family seems to think that I can just drop everything because my office happens to be in my house. My work week is just that, a week, seven days. My clients expect me to be able to respond to concerns or requests no matter the time of day, and I do. I work weekends; I work holidays; I work, period.

So for all those who may be reading this, not having worked from home before, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Yes, I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but then again, I do well by myself with little social interaction. I’ve seen strong men and women who have burnt out and broken down and gone back to the corporate world because if you care about your work and you are doing it correctly, this is hard work, not just sitting around the house watching soap operas. That's not to say it isn't a rewarding profession because it is. I love this work and can't imagine doing anything else.

Tune in next time for "The Comma is Your Friend. Just like any other friend, it doesn't want to be abused, overused, or ignored."

Danielle has lived her whole life on Kentucky Lake in far western Kentucky. She has two children, a boy and a girl, ages 10 and 24 respectively. Danielle is a paralegal by education, but has been working at home as a transcriptionist/proofreader since November 1, 2000. Her hobbies include camping and fishing and just about anything outdoors. Danielle obtained her CET in October of 2014 and works almost exclusively for Hunt Reporting out of Maryland. danigordon72@hotmail.com